Sunday, May 25, 2014

I just finished a purse for myself! Yes, I know I said that the last one was for me, but I decided to gift it to Deborah from Simply Miss Luella for her birthday! Happy birthday Deborah!!!

This purse is made from fabric given to me by Deborah and Cindy from 'Road to California'. Thanks guys for the great fabric bundle!!!

I made a new pattern for this purse. I wanted something shaped just a tad different. I accidental erased most of the progress pictures. But you can get the idea of how the outside of this bag was quilted. I made the sides slanted for more room at the bottom of the purse.

I also added purse feet to the bottom of this bag. It protects the bottom when you set it down on the floor.

At this stage, I pinned the lining down to top stitch around the top of the bag. The zipper has not been attached as of yet.

I used a woven belting for the strap. I had to figure out a way to enclose the ends so that they would not unravel.

There is a zipper pocket on one side of the outside....

...and a slit pocket on the other.

There are two pockets on the inside. One zipper and the other slit.

I ran out of any one fabric, so the inside is also pieced! I just love all the colors and fabrics.

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Here she is!!! I just love this bag. She measures 10" high x 12" wide x 6" deep! I'm sorry I can't tell you the manufacturer or the designer of this line. I'm not up on all of the great designers out there.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

My friend Deborah texted me the other day with a link for a great 2 zipper pouch that she really liked! hint-hint! I managed to find my way over to this blog Fili & Lino and they are crafting wizards. I love this pattern and it is FREE!!

Sorry this photo is sideways, but you can see their header. They say it was designed to hold a cell phone on one side and sunglasses on the other! It's perfect for a ton of uses. I used a lot of little scraps to piece the outside.

First thing you do is sew your two zippers together. I used two different colors, but both the same would work too.

You can see that I used about 1/8" seam.

Next came the little end tab. This will fall just at the pull for the zippers.

Now it is time to square the corners. And just like that, the outside of the bag is done!

Then came the time to attach each pocket and square their corners. The pockets are quilted for extra softness and protection. I think that next time I will quilt the outside of the bag also.

Here it is complete! I have my camera inside the first shot and my cell phone in the second. This little pouch would have plenty of room for the larger iphones too! The hardest part of making this bag was turning it. If you have a chance to visit their blog and get this tutorial.....DO IT! measures 7 w x 4 h x 2 d.

These tiny treasures only take 4 pieces of 5 x 3 1/2 in and 2 pieces of 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in fabric, so it is a great scrap buster! I have been using feather weight interfacing on the outside pieces. You could piece them and quilt them if you wanted.

Here is one with my chap stick on my cell phone...this gives you an idea how small they actually are!

They measure 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/2. They only take a few minutes to make, and are useful in lots and lots of ways.

Think kids' lunch money, pacifiers, keys, credit card and lipstick, candy...... The end of the school year is coming, and this has no calories for the teacher!

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Last week I took my new purse to NFQ, and one of the gals commissioned me to make one for her! Her request was varying colors of gray from light to dark, and that it look just like mine. Here is what I heard her saying...

I went to JoAnn and purchased 3 different colors of gray, gray zippers, gray belting and antique silver 'D' rings. I came home and dug out my original purse pattern. She requested that it be exactly like this pattern.

I got all the pieces cut, labeled, and the first layer of interfacing ironed on. I always use feather weight Pelon for the first layer. On the body of the purse I also use a layer of batting and some ultra heavy stabilizer. That is what gives my bags such great body!

This is the outside pieces. You can see how I quilted it and the pockets. One on front and back.

Here is the lining. A zip pocket and a slit pocket.

Here I am boxing the corners.

And here is the end result! I am please with how it came out. I used a webbing handle with a fabric overlay. The handle is one yard of webbing.

Here you can see both inside pockets!

It measures 9" high x 12" wide x 5" deep. A great size for around town. Now let's hope that she likes it!!

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

I made a "Sew Together" bag for myself...finally! I love these little bags, they are quick and easy. You can buy the pattern at your LQS. These fabrics were among the scraps I won from Christa at Christa Quilts! Thank you soooo much Christa.